Christmas Meme

Something a little different today, Jaclyn posted the following questions over here. My answers are as follows:
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Note for decoration questions, my answers refer to what I've done at my parent's house, I do not currently decorate my own.

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Never had the chance to try Egg Nog, of course being severely allergic to eggs might have something to do with that. Regardless, I'm always up for some Hot Chocolate :).

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Never taught any of the specifics of how Santa 'works'.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? prefer colored lights to white, but both can be ok.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope.

5. When do you put your decorations up? After thanksgiving (that Sunday) usually.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? hmm, maybe the au gratin potatoes... I know this isn't really a holiday dish, per se, but I'm not a big fan of many of the 'traditional' dishes. Could also be whatever the soup is that one of my aunts sometimes makes...

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? I would have been done with this thing a few days ago if not for this question, but I can't separate the years out in my mind to tell which clues went with which years. Every year when my sister and I were kids my grandfather would gift us with a treasure hunt to find our gift(s) for that year. The most memorable years included: running all over his backyard with a ball of twine, eventually ending up with a giant X over where I needed to dig to get an electric race track set; or the year we received an SNES - where we have the memorable quote from my sister "Grandpa thank you so much for this game, ... but we don't have a super nintendo" (found a game first); the year we had found ourselves with a shovel in the arroyo (wash) across the street looking for an arranged pile of "sticks and stones"; or the year we found the container of saved spare change on the roof with the following hours spent with family at the kitchen table sorting it all. This tradition has now shifted on to the younger grandchildren and is a joy to watch still :).
The year we were in the arroyo may be my favorite, even though I can't remember the corresponding gift.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? My parents never taught Santa as real, instead telling the truth of him and his history from the beginning; much to the consternation of a few of my siblings' teachers :P.

(#9-10 don't seem to exist I guess?
found on the internet:
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? no, but we do open our Stockings on Christmas Eve, only the kids (which I sadly no longer qualify as :P) get actual wrapped presents, everyone gets stockings filled with stuff though.

10. What kind of cookies does Santa get set out for him? none...
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11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love playing in it.

12. Can you ice skate? Sort of... I don't fall (much), but I don't move very fast either :P.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? probably the wooden puzzle my grandfather gave me a few years ago. A thin box with holes in the front to see what was inside - a $50 bill behind a solid plastic sheet. I never figured out how to open it, the only puzzle he ever gave me that I didn't solve.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? The time to spend with family, the remembrance of Christ's birth.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Whatever the featured pie is :).

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Taking part in, helping with, or simply watching the hunt for the present my grandfather hid.

17. What tops your tree? An angel.

18. Which do you prefer Giving or Receiving? Receiving is always fun, Giving is better when I know I've found something unique that the recipient will really enjoy.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Carol? "O Come All Ye Faithful" is nice..

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? They're good, but like most hard candy, can only eat 1 or 2 in a short time period.